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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mate — a friend
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. track — a path
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — to breed
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rash — a series

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com